Mauritanian People's Party

(MPP; Parti du Peuple Mauritanien), a political party of Mauritania. It was formed in 1961 as the result of a merger of various political groups and movements that had existed before independence. The Mauritanian Regroupment Party (founded 1958), which actively worked for the granting of independence to the country, formed the nucleus of the MPP.

The MPP comprises representatives of various strata of the population—the petite and middle bourgeoisie, landowners, nomadic stock raisers, artisans, the intelligentsia, and workers. Since 1961 it has been the country’s sole legal party and its governing party. The fundamental aims of the party program, adopted at the First Congress in 1964, are the construction of an independent Mauritanian state, formation of a Mauritanian nation, development of a national economy and culture, and the building of a society of social justice on the basis of the Muslim religion. The party’s principal domestic aims were proclaimed to be the development of the urban and rural productive forces and the elimination of colonial backwardness in all spheres of public life. In foreign policy the party supports the struggle of the peoples of colonial and dependent countries for freedom and independence and against oppression and racism. Under the MPP bylaws, the party is organized by region; day-to-day activities are conducted according to the principles of democratic centralism. The secretary-general is Moktar Ould Daddah. The press organ is the weekly newspaper Al-Shaab.